Videos uploaded to social media are giving a rare view of clashes between Russian and Ukrainian military forces on the streets of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, has been the target of frequent Russian military strikes since the invasion began early Thursday morning. Now it’s the site of intense street battles as the Russian military attempts to win control of the city.
One sequence of videos uploaded to social media show an attempt by a Russian unit to advance towards an important airfield and arms factory in the northeast of Kharkiv. The airfield at the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company is small — just a single runway — but might be a useful bridgehead for the Russians.
CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos.
The first video, taken by a resident, shows a convoy of Russian troops surrounding military vehicles, creeping along a roadway that ends near the airfield.
“There are two [military vehicles] as far as I can see,” someone says in the video. “A third one is crawling through with infantry who are wielding automatic rifles.”
Suddenly, gunfire is heard and seen.
A Russian soldier is seen quickly kneeling and firing a shoulder-fired rocket towards the area where the gunfire appears to be coming from.
A second video, taken after the firefight, shows the military vehicles driving in reverse in an apparent retreat. The Russian troops are seen huddled behind their vehicles.
A Reuters journalist was at the location after the firefight and took video that showed one of the Russian military convoy vehicles abandoned and a significant amount of blood staining the snow on the ground. The Reuters journalist spoke with a resident, identified as Yevgeniy, who told them that at least one Russian soldier was killed.
“After we’ve killed this one, the others run away,” Yevgeniy told Reuters, pointing to a bloody stain in the snow. “They were some 12-15 people. That’s it…They won’t take Kharkiv. They have run back to where they came from. They don’t have good navigation you see. Nothing works for them. They came and were hiding behind the houses,” Yevgeniy said.
Their efforts to retreat appear to have been stopped by another attack. A convoy of vehicles — the same type — is seen on fire in another video.
“And that’s how we meet the b**** Russian army,” someone is heard shouting in the video. “That’s how it’s going to be for each of them who come to our Kharkiv land.”
It’s not possible to be absolutely sure that the Russian trucks on fire are the same as those trying to reach the airport, but they are in the same location, are the same type, and bear the same markings.
Another video taken at the site of the abandoned military convoy — the vehicles are no longer on fire — shows Ukrainian troops engaging.
“Give it all to them,” a voice yells repeatedly in the video.
Amid the firefight, a Ukrainian soldier steps out from the wall and is seen firing a shoulder-fired rocket.
Later, another video shows Ukrainian troops around the convoy, appearing to rummage through the abandoned vehicles. Sporadic gunfire is heard and some Ukrainian forces move along a wall in the background.
“Slava Ukraini,” someone says in the video — “Glory to Ukraine.”
“That’s how we meet Russian world,” another person said. “This will be the same with everyone who will come to stomp on our Kharkiv’s lands! There you go with your Russian-Russian letters ‘Z!’ Everyone will get the same.”
